Redemption
by Zymphia
Summary: Zymera Dustleaf has been visited by a strange voice since she was a child. It tells her of a great destiny that will come to her if she chooses the right path. Meanwhile, the champions of Azeroth are closing in on Illidan Stormrage. The great mage will soon fall to his watcher, but will his path cross with Zymera in time to change his fate?


**Chapter One:**

**The Voice**

'_Your time has come Zymera, druid of Ashenvale.' _the voice told her. '_In the coastal mountains, south of the great mage's city, you will come across an abandoned dwelling, once owned by druids who studied the swamp. Make this your new home and wait, telling no-one of your location. Suffer this great loneliness and I promise you, we will speak again'._

It had been over a year since The Voice had entered Zymera Dustleaf's mind, and told her to come to the lonely mountains South-East of Dustwallow Marsh. Most would have questioned the voice, maybe looked for council on what to do about it, but Zymera kept it to herself. For you see, this voice had come to her before, long ago, when she was a child.

She was born into a typical night elf family during the War of the Ancients. After the Sundering, Zymera with her parents, retreated to Ashenvale and settled near Astranaar, where she lived for the majority of her life. One day near Mystral Lake, the children were playing a popular game where they would re-enact the closing of the portal, and the destruction of the the Well of Eternity. As usual all of the boys were fighting over who would play Malfurion Stormrage, and the girls were fighting over who would play Tyrande Whisperwind. Eventually one of the older boys won the right to play Malfurion, while the youngest boy was forced to play his brother Illidan Stormrage, better known now as 'The Betrayer'. This upset the boy greatly as the other children made fun of him for his role. Zymera, feeling sorry for the boy, offered to take on the role of Illidan, much to the surprise of the others.

'Why would you want to play as The Betrayer?' They asked, confused by her request. 'We were going to let you play as Tyrande'.

She shrugged at them innocently. 'I don't mind playing Illidan' she said. 'He helped win against the demons too so I don't mind playing his part'.

The others laughed at her, joined hands and started to dance around her, claiming she sided with The Betrayer, and they should go and tell Tyrande so she can lock her up with him.

Upset by the other children teasing her, Zymera ran off into the trees until she could no longer hear their chants. She found a tree to sit under and cried into her arms. She did not understand why the children made fun of her, she had just wanted to help the little boy. Her father had told her the story of the Stormrage twins many times, and though she understood that Illidan had made some bad choices, to her, he had still helped to save them all. With these thoughts in her head, an odd feeling came over her body, like someone was wrapping something warm over her. She looked up to see if her father had come looking for her, but when she cleared the tears from her eyes she could see no one was there. It was then that a strange voice she had never heard before entered her mind. The voice was calm and comforting, while still aspiring awe in the young childs heart.

'_Do not cry young night elf' _said the voice. '_I hear your feelings and they are not wrong. The power of understanding is a great one, and it is something you should cherish, but also, use cautiously. Follow the path you seek, not the path that is expected of you and we shall speak again.'_

With that the voice disappeared leaving Zymera alone with her thoughts once more. Who was the voice? she wondered. What did it mean by the path she sook?

She ran home to tell her father what had happened. At first he thought it may be the voice of Elune, but Zymera was adamant that it was someone else. He then feared it may be an old god trying to corrupt his young daughter's mind. In the end, though he feared for his daughter, he offered the only wisdom he could think of that could help his beloved child.

'My dearest Zymera, in truth, I do not know whether this voice means to harm you, or protect you. All I can do is offer this advice to you. Some of us are destined for great things, just like the two Stormrage brothers. The important thing is what we choose to do with this gift of greatness. Will we use it to protect others, and dedicate our lives to our people? Or will we use it for our own personal gain whether the outcome be good or evil?'

Not wanting his daughter to fall into the path of darkness, he took the round, white amulet his father had once given him and lovingly placed it around her neck.

'Your understanding of this may affect the lives of others one day, so it is something I want you to think about if the times comes, and the voice returns to you. If you ever feel any doubt and I am not with you, look at this amulet and know, I will always be at your side to guide you on the path of righteousness.'

After that day Zymera did not hear from the voice for thousands of years. Her father, wanting his daughter to have the opportunity to one day bring her gift to the world, secretly trained her in the ways of the Druid, knowing she had no interest in the path of a priestess. Unfortunately many years later, both her mother and father perished in the Third War, leaving her very much alone.

Zymera, though admired for her caring nature and beauty, was often seen as odd to the other Night Elves. During the Third War she revealed herself as a Druid to help against the Burning Legion, something that was not often seen amongst Night Elf females. She often took in young Night Elves who had gotten into trouble and lost their way in life, earning her the reputation of being someone who was easily manipulated. However, Zymera throughout her life had remembered the words of The Voice, how understanding people was something to be treasured, so she would always give people the opportunity for a second chance. This led to her teaching many of the young she took in the skills to become a Druid, something she often said helped them to find the light they were looking for to guide them.

It was a few years later that The Voice came to her again, telling her to go to Dustwallow. Though remembering her father's feelings and advice, she decided there was nothing left for her in Ashenvale and so she took the risk of following the voice's instructions. She left her family home to her first student Roric and told him to continue taking in anyone who needed help getting back on the right path.

Heeding The Voice's words of not letting anyone know of her location, she set out on foot to Dustwallow Marsh. The journey took her almost a month, but eventually she found the old abandoned house that The Voice had told her about. Isolated from the rest of the world, she tried to focus her thoughts on repairing the house and learning the tricky routes around the mountains. Through her few journeys to the nearby Dustwallow towns she heard of the escape of Illidan Stormrage to Outlands and the watcher Maiev's constant hunt for him. She thought to herself about what Illidan could possibly planning as she finished repairing the last window of her new home.

Tired from the constant work of rebuilding the abandoned house, she dusted herself off and looked out towards the ocean. She breathed in the salty air and enjoyed the coolness of the breeze washing over her face. She missed her life in Ashenvale, especially her students, but the peacefulness of her surroundings was something she enjoyed, despite her sometimes overwhelming loneliness. Her sadness could often be cheered up by the barn owl who seemed to take shelter in an opening in her roof. She made sure to leave the opening clear so as not to disturb the animal who had claimed this place as a home long before she had.

As soon as the sun faded, Zymera lay outside and looked up at the stars. She thought of her mother and father and wondered if they were watching her from above. She hoped the decisions that had led her here had not worried them too much, and she smiled up into the sky in the hopes she could reassure them. She said her nightly prayer to Elune, that she was watching over her parents and that they had found peace in the afterlife. She closed her eyes and could hear the familiar sound of her owl friend hooting in the distance. For a moment she wondered if he was letting her know she was not alone. Feeling at peace, she found her mind wandering until she had unknowingly dozed off. In the darkness of her sleep a pure, white light shone in the distance.

'_Zymera, the time has come to continue on the quest I have trusted to you. I have watched you grow, I have watched you be patient, and now I must ask you to begin the longest part of your journey. You must leave the home you have built for yourself, but fear not, you shall soon return. You must travel to a world beyond this one, it is there atop the Black Temple that your destiny awaits you. Illidan will fall, but if he chooses to, he can be reborn. Take the amulet your father gave to you before he died and take it to the Black Temple. Lay it in the hands of the dying Illidan and I shall do the rest. Return here if the amulet glows amber and I shall revive the fallen. However if it glows green you must take the amulet to Malfurion and tell him to destroy it. Know young one, that whatever you choose to do will have a huge impact on the fate of this world, and many more. Your burden may be a heavy one, but it is one that has the potential to bring you your greatest joy'_

Once again the voice faded and Zymera was left alone. She woke up, her breathing heavy and her heart conflicted. Illidan Stormrage was to fall, but could she be the one to bring him back to this world? Was she betraying her people by doing so? After all he had done, could he truly be redeemed? Should she sacrifice everything she had left, to aid someone who had committed so many crimes against others? She thought of her defence against him as a child as she wrapped her hand around her father's amulet. At that moment something in her soul told her that her destiny would not be revealed until she placed that amulet in Illidan's hand. She had come this far, she must continue this journey to the end. She looked out at the sea she was to cross. What was on the other side she did not know, but she knew a new chapter of her life would start there. She packed up a few of her possessions and started to walk down the long road to Theramore.

Next time: We meet Illidan in his final moments. Will he choose a redeemed life? Or a death as the betrayer?


End file.
